Louisville Just Landed the Portal's Top Two Prizes and Built Something Really Dangerous
Louisville pulled off the recruiting move of the offseason on Sunday. The Cardinals snagged both Flory Bidunga and Jackson Shelstad, two of the most coveted players in the transfer portal, in a single weekend. This wasn't coincidence. According to ESPN, Louisville offered them as a package deal and came in swinging hard with what they called "a vision for building a championship roster."
Let's talk about what just walked through the door in Louisville.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiBidunga Is the Defensive Anchor College Basketball Needed
Bidunga, a 6-foot-10, 235-pound force from Kansas, was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He's been widely considered the best available player in this year's portal class, and for good reason. In his second season with the Jayhawks, he averaged 13.3 points, led the team with 9.0 rebounds, and swatted 2.6 blocks per game across 35 games, 34 of them starts. Ranked fourth nationally in blocks per game, Bidunga is the kind of interior defender who changes how teams play offense.
Shelstad Brings Playmaking Louisville Desperately Needs
Shelstad, the former Oregon point guard, played three seasons with the Ducks and arrived as ESPN's No. 9 portal player. In 2025-26, he put up career-highs of 15.6 points while running the offense with 4.9 assists against just 1.8 turnovers per game. There's a concern: he didn't play after Dec. 28 due to tendon and ligament damage in his right hand. But the year before at Oregon, he earned third-team all-Big Ten honors with 13.7 points per game and helped the Ducks land a No. 5 NCAA Tournament seed in 2024-25.
Pat Kelsey Is Building for Real
Louisville made the NCAA Tournament last season under Pat Kelsey for the second straight year, but a second-round loss to No. 3 seed Michigan State stung. The Cardinals haven't reached a Sweet 16 since 2015. Adding two elite portal players in one move signals Kelsey is done tinkering around the margins. These are impact pieces built to finally get Louisville back to competing for deep tournament runs.
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